High Energy Safety Culture
Assess the Threats
Train the Teams
Protect the People
Featured Article
Courtesy of Plant Services- June 2013
The need for analyzing electrical hazards in the workplace has been recognized by a small segment of the industry for many years. The petrochemical industry and many government institutions have performed research on this subject for more than 40 years. For the most part, however, the user level of the electrical industry has largely ignored the subject, essentially reacting to catastrophic accidents and equipment failure rather than proactively trying to predict and prevent them.
The arc flash incident that completely destroyed the front of the electrician's shirt, along with severely burning the electrician, could have been prevented if management and the worker completely understood the electrical maintenance hazards.
Leaders should understand that an important portion of the business process, if it were to fail, could not only injure or kill employees, but also could shut the business down for days. If you have tasks in which you have this kind of exposure, shouldn't you be involved in the decision-making process to make electrical maintenance and operations safe? Hazard risk assessment makes good business sense. It's the responsibility of all employees to protect themselves and their jobs.
Electrical safety starts with being well-trained, knowledgeable, and informed, essentially "qualified" to perform the work. Remember, being informed and knowledgeable in electrical safety must happen at all levels. Every person who performs electrical maintenance and every supervisor or manager who is involved with maintenance technicians or is associated with the maintenance department must be informed and be able to engage in risk assessment. Safety practices alone cannot protect the electrical worker; it must be ingrained into our business culture as a principal.
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